Let's Get Musical Minimalism

An engaging, practical scheme of work of 6 hour-long music lessons for ages 11-14, with plenty of activities involving performing, composing and listening. Included in the book are everything for both teachers and pupils: lesson plans and notes (including assessment sheet), worksheets and example composition. There are also audio/video links to YouTube. The project does not require knowledge of music notation, but there is an additional notation-based composition task for more advanced pupils.Objectives• To experience, through listening and performing, how a whole piece music can be created from one simple idea• To practise minimalist techniques through performing and composing• To listen to and analyse music by the minimalist composers John Adams, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman and Terry RileyLesson Overview• Lesson 1 – Motif and Ostinato• Lesson 2 – Note Addition and Note Subtraction • Lesson 3 – Canon and Layering• Lesson 4 – Augmentation and Diminution• Lesson 5 – Phasing and Phase-Shifting• Lesson 6 – Class Composition/Performance ‘in C’Subject-specific vocabulary• MINIMALISM – a style of music which started in the USA in the 1960s. It is characterised by simple, repetitive patterns which are transformed throughout the piece, using various techniques, including:o Motif – a basic rhythmic or melodic patterno Ostinato – a repeating patterno Note Addition – gradually adding notes to a motifo Note Subtraction – gradually taking away notes from a motifo Canon – two or more parts performing the same motif but starting at different timeso Layering – the process of adding or taking away parts (or layers)o Augmentation – the motif played in longer note valueso Diminution – the motif played in shorter note valueso Phasing – two or more parts gradually getting ‘out of sync’ with each othero Phase-shifting – two or more parts getting ‘out of sync’ by one beat at a timeAssessments• Performing – Steve Reich’s Clapping Music• Composing – minimalist piece for two instruments, based on a simple one-bar motif• Listening – listening exercise on Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint